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Next Meeting of the F.P. Association

The next meeting of The Gordon Schools’ Former Pupils’ Association is at 7pm on Monday 26th February 2024 at The Gordon Schools.

Patrick Scott's Latest Book 

Association member and Huntly historian Patrick Scott has recorded the personal stories and memories of the war years and gathered them together in a book entitled ‘Huntly’s World War II’.


Patrick amassed the information from all sorts of people and in different situations over a lot of years. Stories from his own relatives and from the families of men who had come home from war and didn’t want to speak about their experiences.


The book is broken into short chapters with touching stories of evacuees arriving off trains, descriptions of planes over Huntly, conscription, pillboxes, sirens and life for ‘bairns’ during the war years.


Patrick has written at least a dozen books, including two volumes on Huntly Cricket Club and a History of Strathbogie.


Huntly’s World War II is available to buy from Orb’s Community Bookshop, Dean’s and McColls.

 Former Pupils' Battle in Beijing

Andrew Young and Andrew Musgrave gave a good account of themselves at the Winter Olympics 2022. If you want to know any further details please see articles published in The Huntly Express on February 10th and February 17th.

 “… the most distinguished female graduate in medicine”

What is it like to have something like this said about one? Ebony Martin, former pupil of The Gordon Schools, could tell us. If you would like to find out how she would know, please read the article in The Huntly Express, dated August 5th, 2021.

Lottie Florence

The Huntly Express recently announced the death at Rothieden, Huntly, on Tuesday, January 19th, 2021, of Charlotte (Lottie) Florence, for many years a teacher at Gordon Primary School, Huntly. Please read the obituary printed in The Huntly Express, dated 28/01/21 (click on the date).

Well-deserved Praise for Nicola

 
 
Nicola Whyte, a former pupil of The Gordon Schools, has been hailed as the local heroine in connection with the recent tragic train derailment near Stonehaven. In spite of being injured herself, Nicola bravely went for help, thinking of others before thinking of herself.


If you would like to read the article by Pat Scott published in The Huntly Express on Thursday, August 20, 2020, please click on these links: Nicola Whyte and Nicola Whyte 27/08/20.

  

Two Former Pupils Retire

Last orders were taken last week after nearly fifty years at the bar.

The Huntly Express, 21/04/17 

 

Congratulations to Rizza’s of Huntly

Congratulations to owners of Rizza’s of Huntly, Philip and Nora Morrison, on being awarded ‘The Herald’ Rural Family Business of the year. They are pictured with family members Fiona and Donald. Nora Morrison is President of the Former Pupils’ Association. Press cuttings:

Rizza’s 1 Rizza’s 2

Huntly Express

 

Guest Book Signed

For more details please click on Guest Book above.
 

Wilma Dean-Prasad - "Living in Dallas Texas now"

John A.M. Bisset - ”Attended school 9/1939 for a year ... Remember my friend John Law.”

Alan Gordon - ”I attended the Gordon Schools between 1982 and 1986. I was in Gordon House.”

Sharon Gray (nee Taylor) - ”I attended Gordon Secondary School from 1985 ...”

Darren Millar - ”Hello. Is it me you’re looking for?”

Joyce McGroarty (nee Finlay) - ”Great to find Lorna Chisholm ...”

Steven Arthur (Bushy) - ”sorry I missed the school reunion ...”

Heather Small (Anton) - ”Happy memories!!”

Glynis Lorina Eastmond - ”Was at the school from 1956 to 1960. ...”

Carol McCartie - ”I was a pupil 1974 - 1979.”

Charles MacPherson - He asks:”Anne McCauley Aren’t you Charlie Smith’s sister?”

George Riddoch - better known as Ridgy - attended The Gordon Schools from 1939 to 1951.

Brian Sandison: ”I remember about half the faces in Stanley’s photo of 1A boys 1959/60 ...”

J. Brown, 2004 to 2009, presently at Abertay University.

Philip Roger, 1968 to 69, Fairhall Farm, ”looking to get in touch with the Paterson family who lived at the end of our driveway”.

Maureen Newlands, nee Richards, 1962 to 1966.

This entry in the Guest Book is from Charlie McPherson: ”Nice to see some of the old class mates in the photos!”

David Smart signed the Guest Book (09/07/15). He is hoping that someone may have photographs of 1a girls and 1c girls (1959/60).

Stanley T. Fraser signed the Guest Book (28/06/15). He offers to share a photograph of class 1a boys from 1959/60. (The photograph has now been received. Thank you, Stan Fraser. Please click to see 1a boys - 1959/60.)

The Guest Book has been signed by Willson Raeburn Morrison. In his message he mentions John Anderson, Gordon Beverley and Ann Begg.

On February 11th, 2015, the Guest Book was signed by Jimmy Mason (”... recalling fond memories”) and Robert Wilson, who now lives in London.

Fiona Morrison signed the Guest Book on May 26th, 2015. She was a pupil at The Gordon Schools from 1966 to 1969.

 Class of 1959-1960

David Smart has made available the photograph of class 1b from session 1959-1960. To view, please click on the link:

Class 1b 1959-60

David has asked if anyone can make available an equivalent photograph of class 1a or 1c from that same session for placing on the website. See Guest Book. A photograh of 1a boys has been made available by Stan Fraser. Please click to view: 1a boys - 1959/60.

He has also passed on the whole school panorama from 1955. This is on the photographic page of the website. Panoramas

Angela Shearer MBE

 

Angela Shearer received her MBE from the Queen at the Palace of Holyrood in June. 

175th Celebrations: Vintage Night

As part of the 175th Anniversary celebrations of the founding of The Gordon Schools, a Vintage Night was held in June.

For further details see: Vintage Night Poster

Introduction

A welcome from the President.

 

Magazines

The 2014 edition of 'The School Road' has been printed and is now on sale.

 

 Vintage Slides

“I was given the slide collection of the late Peter Smith which was being disposed of as part of a house clearance.  

I didn't know the man but he was a well travelled photographer.  

These photos seem to show a school trip to France, I wonder if you recognise anyone?”

Kevin McIntosh

          

 

School Group Photographs, 1955

1955: Secondary Department Composite Panorama

This picture, taken on 10th May 1955, shows the entire pupil and staff complement of the Secondary Department of the school. It was made by 'stitching' together a series of conventional photographs. This electronic version was made in much the same way, requiring the original, very long print, to be scanned in six parts. A few faces are blurred. This blurring is present in the original, which would have been put together without the aid of computer image stitching. Click on the photograph to see the image.

Secondary pupils
Original print provided by Mrs Ena Brown

1955: Infant Department Composite Panorama

This picture, taken on 30th May 1955, shows the entire pupil and staff complement of the Infant Department of the school. The location is the Infant Department playground, which is now the swimming pool car park. The building in the photo is now the Linden Centre. The photo was made, like the one above, by 'stitching' together a series of conventional photographs. This electronic version of the long photograph was scanned in five parts. Again the blurring of a few faces is present in the original. Click on the photograph to see the image.

Primary pupils
Original print provided by Graeme Kemp

1955: Primary Department Composite Panorama

After the Secondary Department and Infant Department photographs were placed on to the website, former pupil David Smart from Eckington in Derbyshire got in touch. He kindly provided the composite panorama of the Primary Department from 1955. Pictured in dappled shade in the school grounds in front of the Simpson Building, the faces of pupils and staff are remarkably clear. Please click on the photograph to see the enlarged image.

Primary School
Original print provided by David Smart.

 

 

 

 

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The Press and Journal - May 16, 2017

Please Help

Please could anyone help us to identify the names of the former pupuils shown in this photograph? The picture was published in the "Past Times" section of The Press and Journal on May 16th. It is a photograph of the Young Enterprise Company of 1988/89.

Please contact: 

webmaster@thegordonschoolsfpa.co.uk

For a closer look, please click on this link.

Thank you for your help.

Further Pictures from the Good Old Days

Please click on the various links to see a number of photographs of past classes, events, trips and outings. This "blast from the past" column may be updated from time to time, as more pictures become available.

 

Secondary 1a Girls (photograph), Session 1959/60, courtesy of former head girl Anne Rigg (nee Henderson).
Secondary 1a Girls (names)

Best-kept School in Grampian

From Mr Kevin McIntosh’s picture archive:
150th Anniversary 1989

Chemistry Trip 2011 - Part 1
Chemistry Trip 2011 - Part 2
Gordon way Walks 1993 to 1995
Gordon Way Walks 1997 to 1999
Mr McIntosh’s Miscellany
Gardeners of the 70s

These photographs were discovered during a tidying-up session before the summer holidays in July 2021. They were probably taken around 1985. The film strips were framed and scanned by Mr McIntosh, who then sent them to us. Many thanks.
Photograps from the mid-80s

Pictures taken by Jeremy Whittet (we think), mostly from around 1998.
Mr Whittet's archive

Mr Whittet discovered and scanned this display of staff photographs from 1998/99. Thank you for sending them to us.

 

A Look Back to the 1950s

Please follow this link to a photograph published in The Huntly Express on Friday, May 5th, 2017, courtesy of John Thomson from Insch. 

On November 7th, 2017, we received a letter from George Philip, who was in the same class as some of the pupils in the photograph. He very kindly pointed out errors in the names contained in the caption below the picture. We also are grateful for the further details he was able to add:

James Higgens should be Robert Huggan (possibly Huggans), graduated with honours in History from Aberdeen University some time after 1958. George Philips should be George Philip. Alison Morris should be Alison (possibly Allison) Morren, graduated as a doctor from Aberdeen University, played the part of Duchess Jean, married to Lieutenant General Sir Peter Graham, General Officer Commanding Scotland. Her parents had a monumental-stone business in Deveron Road, Huntly.

Alexander Cobban, Robert Huggan (Huggans) and Eric Brander died very young. James Glennie died in the summer of 2017.